Teary-eyed Australian PM introduces new tax bill

The Associated Press

In a rare departure from her characteristically tough style, a teary-eyed Prime Minister Julia Gillard has introduced a new tax bill to Parliament that would fund better care for Australians with severe physical and mental disabilities.

Gillard gave an emotional speech to Parliament on Wednesday during a frenetic morning of media interviews in which she defended her government's latest budget. The budget revealed Tuesday is her government's last before elections in September.

Her voice became unsteady after she spoke of a thank you card she had recently received that featured her photograph taken by a 12-year-old girl who has Down syndrome.

Gillard said the tax would provide a funding base for a national disability insurance scheme that had remained little more than a concept for the past six years.